Phobias

Alyssa and Kaitlyn H.

Phobia - an intense but unrealistic fear that can interfere with the ability to socialize, work, or go about everyday life, brought on by an object, event or situation.

Classified as an Anxiety Disorder

__Physical Symptoms__
 * Shaking
 * Sweating
 * Nausea
 * Rapid Heart Beat
 * Trouble Breathing
 * Trouble Thinking Clearly

__Three Types of Phobias__
 * Specific Phobia- fear of a clearly discernible, circumscribed object or situation.
 * Animal
 * Natural Environment
 * Situational
 * Blood-Injected-Injury
 * Other
 * Social Phobia- a persistent fear of one or more social situations.
 * Deal with social situations regardless of type
 * Agoraphobia
 * The fear of being trapped in a situation where escape is impossible or embarrassing.
 * being on a bridge, automobile, in a crowd, or being away from home alone.

__Causes of Phobias__
 * Genetics- certain phobias may run in families.
 * Example: Twins raised separately in different locations may develop the same phobia.
 * Cultural Factors- some phobias only occur in cultural groups.
 * Example: Taijin kyofusho, a social phobia that appears exclusively in Japan.
 * Life Experience- based on real life events that may not be consciously remembered.
 * Example: Being attacked by a dog as a small child may lead to a dog phobia.

__Public Perception on Phobias__
 * Phobias are stigmatized and subjected to wide spread judgmental attitudes.

__Treatments__
 * Medication
 * Specific forms of psychotherapy
 * Cognitive-behavioral therapy

@Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/288016-overview.com Phobias- Tom and Gena Metcalf (book editors) http://www.about.com